45 Days Until Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chocolate Weekend is already trying to sneak up on me. 45 days sounds like a long time but it isn't. (My mother claims it is a sign of my aging that time flies like lightening.) So what do I need for a Chocolate Weekend? Only 28 different treats that hit as many different yet harmonious notes as possible.

Some of it starts with dark chocolate. Have you ever seen a 10 pound chocolate bar? (Well, maybe its a little smaller since I took a chunk for ganache out before the photo was taken.)

Dave is such a cute model. He doesn't even like chocolate all that much which just leaves more for the rest of us.

For those not quite ready to immerse themselves in that much richness there are other levels of chocolate goodness.

Home made cannoli, creme puffs, eclairs, meringue cookies and classic chocolate chips are always a great ending to an afternoon of shopping or sight seeing. There's always the question of which three types of brownies will make the cut. The triple chocolate version from the William Henry Miller Inn, Ithaca, NY just has to be there.

The praline filled chocolate hearts were a huge hit so they could be back on the menu. I like making praline.

The mint chocolate mousse parfaits and heart shaped Black Forest cakes are among my favorites. The mini Snickers Pies have to be there or my neighbor will never speak to me again (she takes the left overs off of my hands.) Classic New York style chocolate chip cheese cake with raspberry sauce and fudge cake with mousse filling are always good bets.

So what should be new this year? I've been working on a chocolate walnut coconut puff pastry that is pretty close to being guest ready. A Chocolate Babka recipe is calling my name. Then there is that 12 Layer Mocha cake recipe I was reading yesterday that uses chocolate liqueur. . .

Time to get baking.

Innkeeper's Twelve Days of Christmas

We all know the tune so feel free to sing along on this last verse:

On the twelth day of Christmas
The innkeepers managed:
12 messy bedrooms,
11 loads of laundry,
10 breakfasts served,
9 cups of coffee,
8 strips of bacon,
7 sets of directions,
6 dozen cookies,
5 omelets,
4 cups of juice,
3 walk-ups,
2 late check-ins,
And a bunch of happy guests.

Happy Holidays to all.

A well earned rest

The Frosty's have taken a well earned break from porch duty to toast some marshmallows.

Not to be outdone, the penguins also decided to celebrate inside. Despite his night time efforts Rudolf was still left out of the Reindeer Games. Apparently "North Pole" is very similar to "Marco Polo" and I hope they tire of the game soon.

And Santa has decided that Rhode Island has so many golf courses that he may have to stick around for a few weeks.

Snow in Narragansett?!?

We don't get snow very often compared to the northern parts of the state or say, Nebraska where we suffered through seven long and dark winters. I must admit that Mr. and Mrs. Frosty are ceramic but they are sitting in a pile of the real stuff.

One of the things I really love about snow is how it looks when it catches on the branches. Of course the my darker side just worries about power lines. This is the elm outside of our kitchen door.

It was so nice I photographed it twice.

Of course my very, very favorite thing is to look out the window and watch someone else work. Oddly, Dave doesn't appreciate having his picture taken while he is working so hard.

If you ever need a guy to dig out your walks, two driveways and a parking lot for the huge fee of a cup coffee, don't call me. I'm not willing to give him up.

Narragansett in the morning

I'm not so fond of getting up early. My sister and mother could catch worms though.










On their last visit to Narragansett they decided to watch the sunrise on the Town Beach


.

Of course since I wasn't there these photos could be in the wrong order. I wonder what the fisherman is catching?

Still, they are nice photos. Winter is such a nice crisp time to take a walk on the beach. Just don't make me get up too early to do it....

New ceilings

Over the years the ceilings in this place have been ignored as much as possible. They are often cracked and often peeling despite being scraped on an annual basis. This is the winter of my discontent and ceiling repair. So far the Whirlpool Suite is finished. The new board is hung in the living room but won't get mud until the tree comes down. No, that doesn't mean we send Dave and a dog out to a field and then let them wipe their paws on the ceiling. Think of it more as icing a cake with a really bad tasting frosting that resists all your attempts to smooth it out. It isn't my favorite or best skill but the results sure beat the heck out of flaking paint.

Bob came to Thanksgiving

So Thanksgiving week rolls around and we have two guests craving lobster on Thanksgiving. They went out and brought home Bob.

To further sweeten the pot, they brought home Little Bob and Littler Bob. (Littler Bob was my bribe but I don't think the Justice Department is interested in the details.)

You'll notice that Dave is absent from all the lobster fun. For his sake we also served a traditional turkey with most of the trimmings plus our traditional Lemon Meringue Pie. (Yes, Lemon Pie, tart as cranberries, yes, we are a little odd.)

In case you are curious it takes 15 minutes in the "spa pot" before a four pound lobster is ready to come to the table on a turkey platter. (I have additional bribe money to hide the photos of the guests tearing into Bob and Littler Bob. Photos could be sold to the highest bidder though....)